Workbenches of the type having a workpiece clamping device as part of its basic structure, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,087, dated Oct. 26, 1971 to R. P. Hickman, have enjoyed substantial economic success. Workbenches of this variety generally include a pair of coplanar top members, one a stationary member, the other top member being adjustable toward and away from the first member by means of independently actuable screw type clamping devices which permit angular adjustment of the moveable member relative to the fixed member to permit secure clamping of tapered workpieces.
The workbenches of this type known in the prior art are generally bench top structures, adapted to be emplaced on a table or bench top, or comprise standing units which may be provided with foldable support structures. However, both varieties of workbenches require substantial storage space. In limited work areas, the table top workbenches must be physically moved and any work in progress disturbed in order to clear the worktable or bench of other uses.
Work surface support arrangements in which work surfaces are supported from support structures in working or storage positions are known in the art. In general, while a great variety of hinge mechanisms for pivoted work surfaces have been used in the past, they have been intended for light duty uses or else have been supplemented by additional elements such as leg structures. Many such devices are not exposed to events which might cause accidental collapse or, if collapse does occur, the likely results are not of serious concern. For these various reasons, the hinge assemblies known in the prior art have generally been relatively light in construction. Those devices which have, in some instances, been of stronger construction are often very complicated or use supplementary supports such as legs or overhead hangers which are not always desirable.
The present invention overcomes these difficulties in the prior art by providing a workpiece supporting and clamping device which is adapted to be wall-mounted to provide rigid, stable and sturdy support for heavy duty work and tools without use of complicated structures or supplementary supports, and to store in a space-saving, generally vertical position adjacent the wall. In this manner, the present invention provides a workbench which requires neither table space nor floor space for use or storage and which may be stored compactly without disassembly or substantial physical effort.